Stepping into Kicks

Defending kicks can be very worrying for some. The leg is heavier and harder than the arm and if hit with it, it can be very painful. For this reason many people prefer to defend kicks by simply stepping away. Stepping away from an opponents kick, although it can be enough to defend the technique is very negative. Most of the time, it does not provide one with a good opportunity to counter and can be seen by some, mentally, as a sign of weakness in spirit.

Stepping into a kick rather, in order to defend it, is always the best option, though it should not always be tried during a fight, as it is very hard to do effectively time and time again. It allows for simultaneous counter strikes from close quarters such as elbows and hooks which can cause large amounts of damage.

Some other advantages of stepping into your opponents kick include,

You avoid the striking surface – Weather it is your opponents shin, or foot, by stepping into your opponents kick your completely avoid it. You must be quick and must always keep your guard up in order to also defend the kicking leg knee, which could make contact.

You catch your opponent when in attacking mode – Most of the time and with many people, when attacking, the thought of defending oneself goes out the window. When a kick is thrown at you and you step inside the kicking leg and simultaneously strike your opponent, chances are, your opponent will not be thinking about defending the counter blow.

You can easily take your opponent down with the strike – Everyone, knows that when standing on one leg, your balance can easily be broken with the slightest of pushes and you can end up on the floor. This is the major disadvantage of kicking. If you strike your opponent hard from a close distance as there leg is off the floor, there is a great chance your opponent will fall. This is great for fighters who prefer grappling on the ground.

You can grab hold of your opponents leg for control – If your strike does not take your opponent down, since your opponents leg is off the floor, if you are quick enough, you can grab hold of it with your non striking arm in order to control your opponent for a possible throw (many can be dangerous from the position) or a continuation of strikes. Knees from this position are extremely effective.

You can easily obtain the clinch – People know when fighting Muay Thai fighters to stay away from the clinch. Thai fighters are great at controlling there opponents head and landing viscous knees. When stepping into your opponents kick, it provides one with a great chance to go for the clinch and start landing in some viscous strikes.

As mentioned, this counter to kicks is hard and requires many hours of practise in order for one to be successful at it. Obviously when starting to learn this counter, start of with your opponent throwing kick’s on the spot without moving around so you can get to grips with it and when you become used to the movement of getting inside, you can try and use it during sparring.

Marks

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Tags: muay thai, kick, clinch, kneee strike

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